1954 Ford F-100 - Jumping In At The Top!

When you talk about creating a top-of-the-line, trophy-winning, feature-worthy, custom truck, the progression generally takes a while. You start with something small, maybe a cosmetic restoration or two, move to some suspension or power train upgrades, then try your hand at upholstery, bodywork, or paint. Each step adds to your confidence and, over time, each truck gets better than the one before. As you can tell from our title, that’s not exactly the way that Nelson Vazquez approached the problem. From Panama City, Florida, Nelson is a construction project manager and this is his very first truck. Adding to the unique story, the truck didn’t start out as his! Nelson has known his good friend Bill Ziel for almost 30 years. Bill is an active drag racer and a talented automotive restoration expert who works out of his well-equipped garage in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Bill has restored many Mustangs and Thunderbirds over the years and wanted to restore a ’53-55 Ford, the years that represented true classics in his opinion. Knowing that Nelson traveled extensively throughout the Southeast, Bill asked him to keep an eye out for one and before long, he found one.

2/11Builder, Bill Ziel (L) and owner Nelson Vazquez (R) built the truck together and regularly take it to shows.

Parked out in a pasture just south of Albany, Georgia, the old farm truck had obviously fallen into disuse. No one answered when Nelson knocked on the door but he left a note and the owner contacted him about a week later. A price was agreed upon and Bill and Nelson picked up the old ’54 with their trailer. Although the original plan was for Bill to restore the truck for himself, somehow the plans quietly changed. Nelson jokes saying “I stole it out from under him!” With Bill doing the construction and Nelson writing checks as well as helping out whenever possible, the truck began to take shape. It’s a story we’ve heard many times before—the initial goal was to create a truck that was nice, usable, and drivable. “We didn’t want a show truck but before long, we crossed the line,” Nelson told us with a smile. “As we were ordering parts, for just a little bit more, you could get the nicer stuff, so we did.” Pretty soon that’s the direction the team was heading, and as you can see, lots of the ‘nicer stuff’ was incorporated into this classic F-100. The initial assessments revealed that rust was pervasive so the truck was stripped and the frame sandblasted. The front section of the chassis was boxed for strength to handle the big motor scheduled for the truck and crossmembers were relocated in the rear to accommodate the new fuel cell. A Mustang II front end and 2-inch dropped spindles, both from Heidts, modernized the steering end. At the propulsion end, a Heidts four-link holds the Strange 9-inch Ford fitted with 31-spline axles, 3.50 gears, and Detroit Locker. Heidts coilovers stabilized all four corners and a set of 11-inch, twin-caliper disc brakes from US Brake guaranteed rapid deceleration.

3/11It’s hard to beat the classic lines of a vintage F-100 so the builders wisely left the factory dimensions unmolested. A ’56 Ford grille shell and grille updated the original and aftermarket front and rear steel fenders from Mid Fifty replaced the rusted originals. The elegant Silver Sage Metallic paint is accented by the gray smoked glass from Vintage Glass.

Since big power underhood translates to big fun for the right foot, the team opted for one of the aftermarket’s biggest. Moving considerably quicker now than it did when it left the factory, the vintage F-100 runs a 521ci big-block built by Doug Herbert of Herbert Performance in Lincolnton, North Carolina. The original 460 block was stroked, using a SCAT rotating assembly kit that included a SCAT crank and rods along with dished Mahle pistons that create a 10:1 compression ratio, about the upper limit for pump gas. The Edelbrock 669 Victor Junior aluminum heads were ported and polished to ensure free breathing. Then to create the optimum fuel/air mix, they topped the big V-8 with a Weiand tunnel ram intake and a pair of 600cfm Holley carburetors. An MSD Blaster II coil amplifies the spark and the ready-to-run, Pro-Billet distributor directs precisely timed explosions to each cylinder through Street Fire wires. As for scavenging, Bill says “We got lucky with the headers. They are Hooker’s 460 engine swap headers designed for Fox-body Mustangs. We just had to do a little modification on the driver side to make them fit. The steering shaft fits right between the header tubes.” An H-pipe and Cherry Bomb Extreme mufflers completed the package. The high performance motor sends an estimated 650 hp to the TCI-modified Ford C-6, three-speed automatic, equipped with a TCI shift kit and set at a 3800 stall speed.

4/11Big, bad, and beautiful, the 460 V-8, stroked to 521cid, sends an estimated 650 tire-frying horsepower to the beefed C6 three speed automatic. Summit Racing air cleaners protect the pair of dual quad Holley 600s, Ford Racing valve covers and breathers add a little sparkle, and the March pulley system dresses up the front end. A Griffin 2-Pass radiator and Flex-A-lite fan keep temperatures in the green.

Bodywork was next and Bill replaced the lower portions of the doors, the cab corners, the floorpan, and the firewall. The tailgate was modified slightly and the chains eliminated but virtually all the original dimensions of the truck remain intact. Although they discussed chopping the top, both men decided that they liked the distinctive roof line with its slanted A-pillar. “To me,” Bill told us, “that’s what makes this truck.” Continuing the theme, the taillights are factory replicas, the grille is a show-chromed ’56, and the original style bumpers were retained but tucked in closer to the body. The bed is covered in red oak, stained with a Green Sage tint and accented with poplar strips instead of traditional stainless steel. Rather than build their own wheel tubs for the bed—cutting, grinding, and repainting—they opted for some ready-made versions, (the only Chevrolet part on the truck!). Billet Specialties 15-inch diameter Street Lite rims got the truck rolling with fat, 12-inch wide rims and Mickey Thompson rubber in the rear (29x 18) along with slim 6-inch wide rims and M/T rubber (26x8) up front.

5/11The Billet Specialties Street Lite 15-inch wheels are slim (6 inches) up front and fat (12 inches) in the rear, creating an instantly aggressive look for the truck. Reproduction Ford taillights, custom latches on the tailgate, and tightened front and rear bumpers are some of the subtle modifications

The beautiful interior was a team effort with Bill and Nelson handling the carpet, the dash, the door panels, the rear cab wall, headliner, and kick panels. The billet instrument panel on the dash holds a full complement of back lit, Auto Meter NV gauges while the Lecarra wheel and Lokar shifter keeps the driver in close touch. Crow heavy duty seatbelts keep driver and passenger in place. Billy’s Trim Shop in Panama City restored the original bench seat, reinforcing the springs and covering it in gray leather. At this point, there is no stereo in the truck, but the authoritative rumble of the Cherry Bomb mufflers makes up for it. The final step was paint, accomplished by Chris House in Crestview, Florida. Chris sprayed the beautiful PPG Silver Sage Metallic, inspired by the color on Chip Foose’s award-winning Grand Master.

6/11Providing great tactile connections are the Lecarra wheel, Lokar shifter, and the oversized accelerator pedal, lifted from Nelson’s drum set!

Start to finish, the build took about 26 months with Bill working on it almost every day and Nelson assisting several times a week. Nelson says, “The best part about this build was that Bill and I agreed on almost everything. When we were picking out something and Bill put his finger on it, it was almost always the one I would have chosen as well.” Now that the truck is done, both men are enjoying it on a regular basis. They keep the truck at Bill’s shop during the week and Nelson picks it up and drives it on weekends. Nelson says, “It’s not a daily driver but we do drive it and enjoy it.” Future plans include raising the truck slightly in the front for additional road clearance and maybe a slightly quieter set of mufflers. Other than that, it’s perfect! CCT